It would be as pointless and tone-deaf to talk about the plot for Alien Addiction as it would be to analyze Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke. If you reverse engineer from the synonymous word for weed (to say it would be a spoiler), then it becomes clear that’s where the story started and renders the whole enterprise into one joke that goes on for 90 minutes. No matter, though, because once you get past your gag reflex, it’s all funny, albeit a mean kind of funny. Understand that the benchmark for prank humor with this group of buddies is to run ahead of your friends on a motorcycle, then put yourself and the bike down in the middle of the road and pretend you’re dead. It’s a rough crowd.
One minor discomfort (other than the repulsive, scatological premise) comes when Riko kits out the aliens for a night on the town. He puts an afro wig on one and Tupac-style do-rag on the other, which feels a bit racist, by current standards. Perhaps it’s meant more as an homage? I will leave it to the viewer to decide if Sterling crossed the line there.
“…comes off impressively polished, and the actors are all-in for the shenanigans.”
For the budget, Alien Addiction comes off impressively polished, and the actors are all-in for the shenanigans. Jackson brings a compelling energy as the charmingly weird Riko. The cinematography is sharp (it’s New Zealand in the background, natural beauty everywhere), the tone and pace are tight, and everyone involved delivered quality work. Still, it is rough around the edges for sure.
A well-heeled art-cinema crowd will not warm up to this feature, but, if you played it, say, in a pub in New Zealand farm country, perhaps, Alien Addiction would probably bring down the house. Know your audience.
"…it's all funny, albeit a mean kind of funny."
